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Firebreather: Pontiac Firebird Re-Imagined

Wish Pontiac’s muscle car still lived? This Detroit-made, straight-out-of-the-movies homage to the Firebird may be just what you’ve been looking for

For the last four decades, we’ve come to expect a new Firebird muscle car to accompany each equally new Chevrolet Camaro. After all, at heart, the two were largely built with the same box of performance parts, just with different looks.

But with the death of the Pontiac brand, Firebird enthusiasts have been forced to rely on the aftermarket for their fill of the old “Firechicken.” Some firms will sell you a replica nose or tail and the required parts to transform your new-gen Camaro with Pontiac looks.

Others, like the renowned Lingenfelter Performance Engineering will sell you a complete, ready-to-do-massive-burnouts interpretation of a ’70s Trans Am. And then there’s the Firebreather. I dropped in on Cauley Performance Automotive in the Detroit suburbs to see what this modern muscle car’s all about – and to have a drive.

The movie connection

The Firebreather is the brainchild of film writer, director and producer, Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad. He studied at California’s Art Center College of Design, known for turning out famous car designers like Chris Bangle formerly of BMW and hot-rodder Chip Foose, before getting into the film business. Ahmad’s been a lifelong member of the auto enthusiast club to boot.

The introduction of the latest Camaro coincided with principal photography of Ahmad’s film, Jinn, a supernatural thriller set in the periphery of the automobile industry in Detroit. Of course, the script demanded that the film’s protagonist drive a special vehicle.

But, instead of going with a recognizable sports car, Ahmad decided to design one – his very own version of what the modern Firebird could have been: this Camaro-based Firebreather. Then he decided to build and sell the modded muscle car to the public. Though the film’s currently in post-production, a dozen Firebreathers have been delivered to customers, including a handful in Canada.

Creating a new Firebird

In the matter of a few days, Ahmad sketched the Firebreather that, for the most part, resembles what you see here. Going from paper to production, however, takes some real expertise, so the Firebreather team hired Faisal Ahmad (yes, he’s related) to head up the project as Special Vehicles Producer.

They then partnered with Classic Design Concepts of Wixom, MI, a company known for its production-quality aftermarket parts, accessories and product executions. CDC is the kind of company you’d take your Chrysler 300C to turn it into an exquisitely-finished four-door convertible. Faisal Ahmad is also a racing driver and knows how to hustle a car around a track.

Their vision was to build something that the enthusiast wanted, according to Faisal. “Looking at the current offerings in the market, we felt like there was something missing and we felt like we could fill that void. We built what we felt was the modern American muscle car but with the soul and heritage of a Pontiac. With the demise of Pontiac, we felt there was a hole in the market and we wanted to create a car that embodied the spirit of the Firebird if Pontiac was still around. Since it was a movie car, we had to make it a little over the top, as well.”

The transformation from Camaro to Firebreather is more than just bolting on a few parts. Instead, CDC undertakes a comprehensive assembly of each car over six weeks. Faisal said, “The only body panels that aren’t modified in some way are the doors and the roof. Every other panel is modified from the original.”

Clearly, the front fascia is a custom piece, fitted with four headlamps and a pair of foglights, plus the Firebreather emblem on the nose glows red in the dark. The rear fascia is all-new as well and encompasses the large LED taillights and the new millennium’s de rigueur diffuser.

The vanes you see behind the doors are functional rear brake cooling ducts and distance the Firebreather from the Camaro’s slab-sided look. The custom 20-inch wheels, hood, rear spoiler and side skirts round out the visual changes.

Inside, the dashboard looks straight from the Camaro, but the Firebreather’s interior is still improved for the better, remedying some of the Chevrolet’s shortcomings. The bulbous shifter is replaced by a short throw unit from Hurst and the seats, both front and rear, are upholstered in black and red leather and hug your body that much better.

The Camaro’s not available with satellite navigation at any price, so the Firebreather team remedied this, building a sat-nav screen into the rear view mirror and also adding a back-up camera. There’s also a camera mounted low down on the front spoiler, giving you what is perhaps the coolest view of the road in all of automobilia.

Power to match the looks…

The most significant changes the Firebreather are under the hood. The 426 horsepower of the Camaro SS clearly wasn’t enough for the movie car, so an Edelbrock supercharger, cold air intake and cat-back exhaust were added to bump output to a published 599 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque.

I spoke with one Firebreather owner who told me the cars have hit a maximum of 620 horsepower on the dyno.

The silver-gray tattoo-like graphics on the front and rear are another Ahmad touch. If you look closely, you’ll see Ahmad’s initials across the Firebreather’s left brow and its serial number in the tattoo on the rear spoiler.

The first 50 Firebreathers will be serialized replicas of the Jinn movie car, in the specification I tested, and they don’t come cheap. A Firebreather costs a hefty $95,000 US – a long way from a well-equipped Camaro SS’s price of just over $43,000 Canadian.

Driving fire

In recent months, I’ve driven a number of Camaros and I was expecting another lightly modified muscle car, but was surprised to find the Firebreather has its own distinct character. Although you’re consciously aware that there’s a Chevy underneath, it still feel like something quite unique.

The steering wheel and gauges are familiar, but it’s the heavy action of that Hurst shifter that tells you this car is something different. Click-clack. Shifting the Firebreather is all business and muscle. You can’t be lazy. Mis-shifts simply aren’t possible.

There’s no mistaking the perpetual whine from the supercharger or the loud, guttural exhaust. You’ll never sneak around in this car. An owner told me his neighbours have taken to noting the dates and times he’s been driving his Firebreather.

At most, I was able to use just two-thirds of the throttle pedal’s travel, but even then, I’d get wheelspin in straight line, in a corner, or wherever the Firebreather was pointed. It made me wish for warmer conditions for a test drive to exploit all of those horses.

The ride was unmistakably firm, but still relatively compliant over nasty Michigan roads. Ride quality was an important consideration in the development of the car, Faisal said, “We recognized that this car was going to be a grand tourer, not a race car, and we wanted our customers to drive it every day and be comfortable. I’ve driven the Firebreather cross-country twice and it definitely eats up the highway miles, but it’s still got the handling prowess to be able to drive hard in the turns.”

If you want something special

It was difficult to contextualize the Firebreather after driving it. To me, it’s more like a fully resolved production car, than a tweaked Camaro, much like Faisal told me, “The Firebreather isn’t an upgraded Camaro in itself, and it’s not a kit. They’re complete cars and because there is so much hand craftsmanship involved, they’re really special vehicles.”

The looks, performance and new tech emphatically morphed the Chevy into something entirely different. Yes, it’s $95,000 worth of different – and a 50 percent premium over even the now-top-drawer Camaro ZL1 ($58,000) – but it’s the price you pay to own something unique. With only a dozen in owner’s garages and, as mentioned, just 50 slated to be produced, you won’t see yourself coming or going like you would in a Viper or Corvette – or Camaro for that matter.

Although the Firebreather is an all-American endeavour, Ron Hodgson Chevrolet Buick GMC, a dealer in St. Albert, Alberta, has delivered three in that province and one to Vancouver. We’ll be keeping our eyes out, Firebreather owners.